Help Centre

FAQs: Vrbo (HomeAway) Integration

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Why is my Vrbo (HomeAway) listing not live?

If your listing is not live or updating on Vrbo (HomeAway) you can check whether any errors are causing this. To check go to Integrations > Channel manager > International > HomeAway and click on "5 or more listings".

If there is an issue with any of your listings you can check for errors, an example would be:

In this case you need to ensure your Headline field in your Vrbo (HomeAway) data ( click your property name in this page for a quick navigation to your Vrbo data page) has the correct number of characters. Once this is done the error will disappear and it should then show a green tick to highlight your listing is now OK:

If the green tick is showing but there is still an issue please contact [email protected].

Please note it can take up to 24 hours for your changes to publish across to Vrbo (HomeAway).

Other areas you can check are:

  • Ensure your have your terms and conditions added (Admin > Terms and Conditions)
  • Have seven or more photos uploaded
  • Ensure photo resolution sizes are a minimum of 1024 x 683 pixels, better still would be 1920 x 1080 pixels.
  • Have five or more Listing features ticked
  • Have 50 or more characters in the "description" field
  • Have 70 or more days availability over a 12 month period

Should the listing fail to meet any of the above it will be auto-rejected.

What are Vrbo (HomeAway) custom cancellation policies

1. In SuperControl go to Integrations > Channel Manager > International > Vrbo (HomeAway) (click "5 or more listings" to get your properties to display).

2. Scroll down the page where you can select "Custom" for your cancellation policy.

You have three tiers in which you can customise the policy, for example:

3. Once created click Save.

Why are my prices displaying incorrectly on Vrbo (HomeAway)?

There may be a number of reasons why your weekly pricing is not what you would have expected it to be, check the following to see if any of these areas are causing anomolies:

  • Check your Price Planner (Properties > Edit > select "Price Planner" next to your selected property > Go) and make sure you have the correct prices added. If you have per person pricing enabled - check your pricing for each per person selection to ensure they are correct.
  • Check whether you have a discount or special offer set-up for your property in SuperControl.
How do I block availability on my Vrbo (HomeAway) listing only?

If you know that peak season weeks can be booked from your own website easily then you can block those dates off on your Vrbo (HomeAway) listing.

1. Go to Integrations > Channel manager > International > Vrbo and click on "5 or more listings"

2. Next to your activated property select your "Block Dates"

3. Click on the dates you wish to block off on your Vrbo (HomeAway) listing. This will only block off dates on HomeAway but leave your own website availability as open.

Please note it may take up to 24 hours to update your availability to Vrbo (HomeAway).

How do I uplift my rates for Vrbo (HomeAway)?

1. Go to Integrations > Channel manager > International > Vrbo and click on "5 or more listings"

2. Next to your activated property select your uplift percentage:

3. Repeat if necessary for your other properties and click Save at the bottom of the page

Please note it may take up to 24 hours to update your rates to Vrbo (HomeAway).

Can I send a security or refundable deposit to Vrbo (HomeAway)?
  • If you have a security deposit set up in SuperControl, this will send to Vrbo (HomeAway) and the client will be informed at the point of booking that this will be held.
    Example:
    Booking total is £1000
    Security deposit is £200
    The guest will see £1000 while booking and we take £1000 from the card provided. We also block £200 on the card, which the guest will no longer be able to use until the security deposit has been released again. For the guest it will appear as if we charged £1200.
    This can cause issues when guests have a limit on their card e.g. £1000 for fraud protection.
     
  • If you have a refundable deposit set up in SuperControl, this will be added to the total rent at point of booking.
    Example:
    Booking total is £1000
    Refundable deposit is £200
    The guest will see that they are being charged £1200 at the time of booking.
    After the guest has departed and the property was checked, the £200 need to be refunded manually from within the booking.
Can I include the cost of my default booking extras into my Vrbo (HomeAway) price?

Yes.  Ensure that the booking extra, e.g. a Booking Fee has a value in the 'Default' column within Properties > Edit > Booking Extras then it will be added on to your Vrbo (HomeAway) listing price.  

Note: You are not able to turn this feature of the integration off.  All default extras will be sent.


How do I edit or cancel a Vrbo (HomeAway) booking in SuperControl?

You can edit or cancel a booking from Vrbo (HomeAway) the same way you would with any website or admin booking.  To learn how to cancel a booking, click here.  The learn how to edit a booking, click here click here.

If a guest wants to cancel their Vrbo (HomeAway) booking, the cancellation must be done through SuperControl.  When this is cancelled the cancellation request is sent to Vrbo (HomeAway).

Vrbo (HomeAway) require you to select reason for cancellation from the pop-up box when you click "Cancel" on the booking.

If you have the enquiry integration set up with Vrbo (HomeAway), then your guest can cancel their booking through My Trips.

What is VRBO (HomeAway) 'Guarenteed Pricing'?

All of our owners using Vrbo (HomeAway) through Supecontrol are now part of Homeaway's guaranteed pricing.

Did you know that up to 50% of guests abandon the shopping experience when they see a different price in search results versus the price on the actual property detail page?

The main advantage of guaranteed pricing is increasing booking conversion by up to 10%. It gives you a competitive advantage, since other owners, not part of the guaranteed pricing scheme are likely to have a lower conversion rate that those who are part of it. Potential guests are more likely to click on accommodation that shows the clear and correct price. Your price, the price derived from that in your price planner (along with any optional uplifts)  will be the exact price shown on the search results.

How do I enable and use the Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiry feature?

Step 1- To enable enquiries from Vrbo (HomeAway) to SuperControl go to Integrations > Channel Manager > International > Vrbo > 5 or more listings, and tick “Enable Receiving of Enquiries” and Save.

Step 2 - When an enquiry is placed via Vrbo (HomeAway) it will display in SuperControl.

Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiries will NOT include any guest contact information within an enquiry. You will be provided a masked email address that you can reply to in order for the enquirer to receive your reply.

How do I send a reply to a Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiry?

Step 1 - Go to Enquiries > View Edit and click Filter, then click the enquiry number of your Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiry:

Step 2 - Choose an enquiry letter to generate at the top of the page, select Email and click “Generate”.

If you don’t have an enquiry letter template click here for instructions on what to do.

We advise you have a separate email template for Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiries that differs to your normal enquiry template. Your HomeAway enquiry template should not include any formatting and be entered as plain text.

You should NOT include any company details, contact information or images within your email template for Vrbo (HomeAway) enquiry replies. Vrbo (HomeAway) will not include this information in your reply.

Step 3 - Within your email window, click within your body email text, and click to insert your

Vrbo (HomeAway) booking link” (this link will direct the enquirer straight Vrbo (HomeAway) to book their selected property) OR

you can click “Insert HomeAway property link” (this will direct the enquirer to the property page of their selected property where they can view more property information or choose different dates to book):

Step 4 - Once you’re happy with the email click Send.

What are VRBO (HomeAway) Cleanliness amenities?

Vrbo (HomeAway) introduced a specification for Property-level COVID-19 related sanitization measures.

If you are using our full API integration with Vrbo (HomeAway) it means all of your amenities must be set in SuperControl.  We have now added the specifications for you to fill out and show to your potential guests booking on Vrbo (HomeAway). 

To complete the Vrbo (HomeAway) amenities specification please go to Properties> Edit> Amenities.

At the top of the page you will see the "HomeAway cleanliness settings" button.

If you click this button, a pop-up will appear.

Once you have filled out the correct information that applies to your property, then click Save.

At any time whilst the pop-up is open, to close it you can either click the 'x' or click outside of the pop-up.

Please note if your property is grouped in SuperControl then only the Lead property will show the "HomeAway cleanliness settings" button and the settings will automatically apply to the rest of the properties within the group.

How do I enable UpFront Reviews on my Vrbo (HomeAway) listing?

To enable UpFront Reviews on your HomeAway listings follow these steps:

Step 1 - Log in to SuperControl and go to Integrations > Channel manager > International > Vrbo (HomeAway) (5 or more listings)

Step 2 - Scroll to the bottom of the page and under the heading "HomeAway Assigned IDs" tick the box  “Enable the Sending of Reviews”.

Step 3 - Save.

Please note it may take up to 24 hours to populate your reviews to Vrbo (HomeAway).

How do I access my Vrbo (HomeAway) System of Record?

1. Log in to your Vrbo (HomeAway) account, click "My Account" and select System of Record:

2. For full feed accounts you will see that SuperControl should be your current setting for all data:

How do I take a guest payment on a booking from Vrbo (HomeAway)?

1. When a guest places a booking on Vrbo (HomeAway), they enter their card details directly into HomeAway.

2. The card details will then be registered and ready to be processed within SuperControl. Select the registered card option when processing a payment:

How do I correspond to guests in a booking from Vrbo (HomeAway)?

1. Once a booking is placed on Vrbo (HomeAway), you will receive a notification from Vrbo (HomeAway) that you’ve had a new booking, and a booking summary email will also be sent to the guest.

2. You should then correspond by email to the guest within SuperControl, the way you would if it were your own website or admin booking.

3. You will find instructions on how to send emails to a guest within SuperControl here.

Do payments from Vrbo (HomeAway) comply with PSD2?

Vrbo (HomeAway) has made a change to their system so that the guest will go through the relevant 3DS checks at the time of booking.  They will then send us the results of these checks as secure tokens when they provide the card details.  We can then use these results when we process the payment meaning that these transactions will comply with PSD2.  Secure Trading and HolidayRentPayment can accept these 3DS tokens.  Sage Pay currently cannot. 

If I have a problem with my Vrbo (HomeAway) listing(s), who should I contact?
  • If your listing in SuperControl is showing a red circle, make sure the data required is completed and there is a price in price planner.  If this has been done and the issue remains, contact SuperControl.
  • If the property is not live on Vrbo (HomeAway), and there are no errors in SuperControl, contact Vrbo (HomeAway) first.
  • If any content or prices have been updated in SuperControl and are not showing in Vrbo (HomeAway) after 24-48 hours since the change, contact SuperControl.
  • If you are integrated to Vrbo (HomeAway) via an iCal link, contact Vrbo (HomeAway) for any issues with your listings.
What is a Vrbo (HomeAway) Premier Partner?

The benefits:

  • Stand out in searches: with an exclusive badge on your property, travelers will know they can expect a great stay.
  • Reach more travelers: As a top performer, these partners are eligible to be featured in traveler emails, videos, our television show, social channels and more.
  • Get exclusive access: As a Premier Partner, you’ll receive priority customer support and access to beta versions of new tools so that you can help guide the future of our marketplace.
  • Communicate with travelers pre-booking: Since you process your bookings through HomeAway, we will provide you with more ways to communicate with travelers before they book with you. 

Among other factors, Premier Partners have the following qualities in common:

Their guests have great traveler experiences and it shows. Exceptional owners and property managers offer clear expectations, provide unique experiences -- and travelers respond with great feedback and reviews.

They provide quick responses to inquiries and booking requests, process all bookings through HomeAway checkout, follow through with bookings and avoid cancelling on guests. These things assure timely, secure and reliable bookings-- getting the traveler experience off to a great start.

Travelers are attracted to their properties because they include high-quality photos and descriptions of the incredible stays their guests will have. By maintaining detailed and accurate content along with listing amenities, travelers know what to expect when booking with those properties! And part of attracting travelers includes rates that are competitive, priced right for the market and priced right for the property.

The Premier Partner Program recognises owners and managers who consistently deliver outstanding traveler experiences and the Premier Partner badge shows travelers that they can expect a great stay at your property. Let’s check out the benefits of the badge.

How do you become a Vrbo (HomeAway) Premier Partner?

Partners who have met the eligibility requirements and receive an invitation to join the program, will be required to read and accept the pledge to officially join.  

Eligibility assessments will be performed periodically, and are currently based on fast response times, high booking acceptance, low cancellation rates, and excellent traveler reviews. If you didn’t make it this time, don’t worry, you’ll have another shot at the next assessment!   

Our Premier Partners provide some of the best traveler experiences and their travelers know and expect it. Premier Partners--your travelers’ great experiences start here.

Participation in the Premier Partner Program is subject to the HomeAway Terms of Use or any other Premier Partner program or platform rules or guidelines. HomeAway may revise or discontinue the program at any time. 

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